J.A.B. Bulao & Associates

WHO IS MAR ROXAS?

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This name uses Philippine naming customs; the middle name or maternal family name is Araneta and the surname or paternal family name is Roxas.

Manuel “Mar” Araneta Roxas II (born May 13, 1957) is a Filipino politician and the grandson of former Philippine President Manuel Roxas. He is a candidate in the 2016 Philippine presidential election. He served in the Cabinet of the Philippines as Secretary of the Interior and Local Government from 2012 to 2015. Previously, he was the Secretary of Trade and Industry from 2000 to 2003, a Senator from 2004 to 2010, and Secretary of Transportation and Communications from 2011 to 2012. He is the son of former Senator Gerry Roxas.

After gaining^[1][2] a Bachelor of Science in Economics degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Roxas worked as an investment banker in New York, mobilizing venture capital funds for small and medium enterprises. He served as the Representative of the 1st District of Capiz from 1993 to 2000. His stint as Congressman was cut short after he was appointed by President Joseph Estrada as Secretary of Trade and Industry.^[3] He resigned from the position at the height of the EDSA Revolution of 2001 and was later re-appointed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in her new Cabinet.^[4] He resigned again to run for a Senate seat in the 2004 Philippine election.^[5] He was elected as Senator with 19 million votes and the highest ever garnered by a national candidate in any Philippine election. He was co-author of the Expanded Value Added Tax Law (E-Vat).^[6]

Initially one of the leading contenders in the 2010 presidential election, he slid down to become a vice-presidential candidate in order to make way for fellow Senator Benigno Aquino III, who eventually won. He was defeated by Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) by the narrowest margin in the history of the Fifth Republic. However, Roxas filed an electoral protest with the Supreme Court of the Philippines, the Court sitting as Presidential Electoral Tribunal.^[7] On June 7, 2011, President Aquino appointed Roxas as the new Secretary of Transportation and Communications to replace outgoing Secretary Jose de Jesus, and he took office on July 4, 2011.^[8] Afterwards, on August 31, 2012, President Aquino nominated him as Secretary of Interior and Local Government, replacing Jesse Robredo, who died in a plane crash.

Roxas is the standard-bearer of the Liberal Party for the 2016 presidential elections in the Philippines. On July 31, 2015, at an event dubbed as “A Gathering of Friends”, he was officially endorsed by President Benigno Aquino III to continue the present administration’s reforms, collectively dubbed Daang Matuwid (“straight path”). In the presence of their political allies at Club Filipino, where Roxas had announced his decision to withdraw from the 2010 presidential election to give way for Aquino’s presidential bid in 2010, Roxas formally accepted his party’s nomination.^[9][10][11] On August 3, 2015, Roxas officially tendered his resignation as Secretary of the Interior and Local Government in order to focus on his presidential campaign.^[12]

Early life

Manuel “Mar” Araneta Roxas II was born on May 13, 1957, in Manila, Philippines, to Judy Araneta of Bago, Negros Occidental, and Gerardo Roxas (1924–1982) of Capiz. Roxas’ father was a Senator (1963–1972) and the only son of Manuel Roxas, the first President of the Third Philippine Republic (1946–48), and Trinidad de Leon. The couple married in 1955.^[13] He has two siblings namely Maria Lourdes or Ria, married to Augusto Ojeda and mother of three and the late Congressman Gerardo “Dinggoy” Roxas, Jr. (1960–1993).^[14]

Education

Roxas attended the Ateneo de Manila University for grade school and high school, then attended the prestigious^{[15][16][17] [18]} Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, majoring in finance and earning a Bachelor of Science degree in economics in 1979.^[19] After graduation, he worked for seven years as an investment banker in New York, and became an assistant vice president of the New York-based Allen & Company.^[20]

Following the 1985 announcement by President Ferdinand Marcos of a snap election, Roxas took leave of absence to join the presidential campaign of Corazon Aquino. In September 1986, President Corazon Aquino went to the United States. Roxas was one of those who organized a series of investment round-table discussions with the American business community. From 1986 onwards, Roxas visited the Philippines more frequently and proposed to Allen & Company to set up a branch in Asia, specifically in the Philippines; later his superiors agreed. In 1991, he was stationed in the Philippines with North Star Capitals, Inc. which took public the Jollibee fast food restaurant chain. In the United States, he participated in the first financing for Discovery Channel and Tri-Star Pictures.^[21]

Political career

Congress

Roxas’ younger brother, Dinggoy, who represented the 1st District of Capiz, died of colon cancer in 1993. At the age of 33, he decided to run in the special election to replace his brother in the seat and won.^[21] He later became Majority Leader of the House of Representatives.

His landmark laws include, among others:

• Republic Act No. 8759 – establishing in all municipalities a Public Employment Service Office which serves as an employment facilitation and information center, and links all job opportunities within the region;
• Republic Act No. 8748 – amending the Special Economic Zone Act by directly allocating to the municipality or city 2% (out of the 5%) gross tax to be collected from the establishments operating in the ecozone and providing for disturbance compensation for persons to be displaced or evicted by publicly owned ecozones;
• Republic Act No. 8756 – incentivizing the establishment of regional headquarters to encourage investment and operation of multinational companies in the country and to generate more jobs.

His tenure in the House was most noted for his principal authorship of Republic Act No. 7880 (Roxas Law), which ensures fair distribution of the education capital budget among all the provinces. This started his advocacy for fair and equitable access to education, free from regional bias and political patronage considerations.^[22]

Estrada cabinet

Roxas resigned from the House of Representatives following his appointment as Secretary of Trade and Industry under the Estrada administration in 2000, replacing Jose Pardo who was appointed Secretary of Finance.^[23] During his stint, Roxas was named as Chairman of the Information Technology and Electronic Commerce Council, a body formed with the participation of both the government and private sector to monitor the implementation of the E-Commerce Law (Republic Act 8792) and programs pushing for the growth of IT-enabled services.^[24][25] He resigned the position in November, as Estrada was under fire due to allegations of corruption.^[26]

Arroyo cabinet

In January 2001, just days after Estrada had been overthrown, Roxas was re-appointed to the same office by newly installed President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.^[3] He was also temporarily designated by Arroyo to head the Department of Energy.^[27]

During his four-year stint as DTI Secretary, he pushed for the development of the palengke (market) as the basic unit of the economy and the root of progress, advocating not only consumer welfare and protection but also sound trade and investment policies, particularly SME development.^[22]

Palengkenomics

As a proponent of the philosophy of ‘palengkenomics’, which considers the “palengke” (wet market) as a microcosm of the economy, Roxas conducted weekly monitoring of the prices of prime commodities.

Among his projects were the following palengke-based programs which promoted supply chain efficiencies:

1. Tamang Timbang, Tamang Presyo (Right Scale, Right Price) for consumers,
2. Presyong Tama, Gamot Pampamilya (Right Price, Family Medicine) to make affordable and quality medicines accessible to Filipinos,
3. Pinoy Pandesal,
4. Palengke ng Bayan (Market of the Country)

Trade policy

His work regarding trade policy was highlighted during the 2003 WTO meeting in Cancún, Mexico, where he fought for increased market access for Philippine exports, particularly agricultural products and a rationalized Philippine trade regime so that domestic industries would not be harmed.^[28]

Computers in schools

At a time where computer access was limited to an elite few, Roxas initiated the Personal Computers for Public Schools (PCPS) Program, which distributed over 30,000 computers to 2,000 public high schools all over the Philippines. PCPS computers provided 500,000 high school students with the necessary ICT tools and skills.^[28][28]

Industry benefits and job creation

Roxas worked for the reopening of the National Steel Corporation which provided thousands of jobs, income and livelihood to Iligan City, Northern Mindanao and adjacent regions.

He initiated the Motor/Vehicle Development Program to promote exports, create a viable market base for Philippines car manufacturers and secure jobs.^[28]

Roxas pushed for MSME development through the SULONG (SMEs Unified Lending Opportunities for National Growth) Program, which granted almost ₱26.7 billion on low-interest loans to 281,229 SMEs on its first year.^[28]

Call centers, the BPO and IT industry

Roxas launched ‘Make I.T. Philippines’, I.T. standing for “Information Technology.” He organized the first IT-enabled services (ITES) to the United States.

He was named ‘Father of the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)’ market in the Philippines, particularly call center operations, by other politicians. From starting out with a mere 2000 jobs at the onset, the IT/BPO industry now provides hundreds of thousands of jobs in the Philippines.^[29]

In the year 2000, Roxas was named Chairman of the Information Technology and Electronic Commerce Council. This institution, which was composed of members of the government and the private sector, was formed to monitor the implementation of the E-Commerce Law (Republic Act 8792) and programs pushing for the growth of IT-enabled services.^[30][31]

Senate

On December 10, 2003, Roxas resigned from his post to prepare for his senatorial bid under the banner of the Liberal Party in the 2004 elections. Roxas said that he needed to separate his work in DTI from his work as a candidate and added that his resignation did not surprise the President. He was succeeded by Cesar Purisima, former chairman of the accounting firm Sycip Gorres Velayo & Co..^[32]

Upon winning a seat in the 2004 Senate election, Roxas was proclaimed by the Commission on Elections as Senator-elect on May 24, 2004, and officially assumed the office at noon of June 30, 2004. He was elected under the Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan (K-4) of President Arroyo.^[33]

Roxas held assignments on the Senate Committee on Trade and Commerce and Senate Oversight Committee on Optical Media Board serving alongside Ramon Revilla, Jr..

Roxas authored 43 bills and 46 resolutions brought before the 13th Congress in July 2004 and 2007. He filed bills on fighting smuggling, supporting labor, education, economy, and alternative energy.

On February 26, 2006, the Philippines was under a state emergency after the government claimed that it foiled an alleged coup d’état attempt against the administration of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo earlier that same day. Two days later, Roxas called on the government to immediately revoke Proclamation No. 1017, saying it betrays its own vision of a strong republic and directly attack Philippine democracy.^[34]

Roxas voted in favor of the Revised Value-Added Tax Law when it was deliberated in the Senate.^[35] The law was co-authored by other Liberal Party members, Franklin Drilon and Francis Pangilinan. He also voted in favor of the abolition of the death penalty in the Philippines.^[36]

Roxas voted against the Human Security Act together with Senator Jamby Madrigal saying that “the fight against terror requires urgent operational reforms over measures that could impair civil liberties“. He even warned that the said law poses a danger to the security and rights of every Filipino if there will be no set of implementing rules and regulations laid down.^[37]

Roxas’ legislative agenda for the 14th Congress is as follows:

• EVAT Funds for Education and Healthcare – He has filed Senate Bill No. 102 (People’s Fund Act) to ease the effect of the 12% E-VAT. The People’s Fund would consist of thirty percent (30%) of all proceeds from the VAT collected under Title IV of the National Internal Revenue Code. This portion estimates the share of incremental revenues from Republic Act No. 9337, the Expanded Value-Added Tax law, which increased to 12% the VAT and removed the exemption.^[38]
• Tax Exemption for Minimum Wage Earners – He has filed Senate Bill No. 103 (Individual Tax Exemption for Minimum Wage Earners Bill) to exempt minimum wage earners in the private sector and government workers in Salary Grades 1 to 3, amending certain provisions of Republic Act No. 8424, otherwise known as the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as amended. As per estimates by the National Wages and Productivity Board, there are 7 million workers earning the minimum wage and even below. For him, it is unfair and unjust that the government, under the law, is taking away a portion of their already subsistence-level income.^[39]
• Amendments to the Roxas Law – He has filed Senate Bill No. 104 to amend Republic Act No. 7880, also known as the Fair and Equitable Access to Education Act, to eliminate the problem of classroom shortages in the Philippines, as well as enhancing the process of construction, rehabilitation, replacement, completion, and repair of needed school buildings and classrooms.^[40]
• Regulating the Pre-Need Industry – He has filed Senate Bill No. 105 (Pre-Need Industry Act of 2007) to address the absence of a statute that regulates the pre-need industry by establishing the Pre-Need Industry Act of 2007 to govern the operations of firms which issue or sell pre-need plans or similar contracts and investments.^[41]
• Anti-Smuggling Bill – He has filed Senate Bill No. 106 (Anti-Smuggling Act of 2007) to amend certain provisions of Presidential Decree No. 1464, otherwise known as the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines, as amended. Under the proposed bill, an Audit and Transparency Group under the Bureau of Customs, headed by a Deputy Commissioner, would regularly inspect and report on the bureau’s operational processes, collection and financial reporting, fiscal and personnel performance, system efficiency, internal control, information and communication flow, fraudulent and illegal practices and other related areas. On the basis of these inspections and reports, the Audit and Transparency Deputy Commissioner can initiate investigations of fraud and other graft and corrupt practices in the bureau, and shall recommend to the Office of the Ombudsman the filing of any cases against personnel and officers involved.^[42]
• Lemon Law – He has filed Senate Bill No. 107 (Lemon Law of 2007) to have a one-year period in which buyers of brand-new vehicles can avail of the provisions of this Lemon Law, which allows up to four repairs on the same defect before a replacement or refund of the vehicle can be claimed. For him, it would ensure that the investment on a vehicle is money well-spent.^[43]
• SME Magna Carta – He has filed Senate Bill No. 108 (Magna Carta for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) to strengthen Republic Act No. 6977, the Magna Carta for Small Enterprises. The focus of the amendments of this bill focuses on three points: guidelines, institutional support and organizational support. Guidelines refer to the specific asset size definition, appropriating a definite and regular amount for the Small and Medium Enterprise Development (SMED) Council and increase in the mandatory allocation to lending activities. Institutional support comprises additional government agencies to coordinate SME efforts and formalization of the SME Development Plan. Lastly, organizational support to intensify the powers and increase capitalization of the Small Business and Guarantee Finance Corporation to complement the growing demands for financing. Other features of the bill include formalizing the celebration of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) Week and recognition of outstanding MSMEs.^[44]
• Free Information Act – He has filed Senate Bill No. 109 (Free Information Act) to implement the Constitutional guarantee to free access by the people to official information, except when the disclosure of such information would jeopardize other prerogatives of the government, namely, the protection of the privacy of individuals, trade secrets, national security, public order and safety, and foreign diplomatic relations. The bill also proposes the adoption by all government bodies a mechanism wherein all written requests for information shall be responded to within two days, unless proper justification is given by the government body, subject only to the payment of reasonable fees for the viewing or reproduction of such information. To compel disclosure of information, in case a government body refuses access to such information on whatever grounds, the Office of the Ombudsman would be tapped to hear any citizens’ complaints of not being properly assisted by the pertinent government body. Penalties will be levied to officials or employees who knowingly and unjustly refuse to provide access to information, or who consciously release false or misleading information.^[45]
• Decriminalizing Libel – He has filed Senate Bill No. 110 (Penalty of Imprisonment in Libel Cases Abolition Bill) to decriminalize libel and limit the venue of filing libel suits. He believes that the approval of the said measure would be a small way by which Congress may help in alleviating the plight of journalists.^[46]

On November 26, 2007, LP National Executive Council officials resolved to appoint him as president of the Liberal Party.

Roxas was to unite the two LP factions and set the stage for his presidential campaign in the 2010 election.^[47] Lito Atienza, however, forthwith questioned Roxas’ appointment, attacking the composition of Liberal Party’s National Executive Council (NECO) and alleging that the Supreme Court of the Philippines‘ June 5 resolution ordered the LP leadership’s status quo maintenance. Atienza stated: “I have no invitation. They kicked me out of the meeting; How can you (Roxas) unite the party when you take the wrong step?”^[48]

Platform

See also: Political positions of Mar Roxas

Senator Mar Roxas has taken positions on many national issues since his election as senator during the 2004 Philippine elections.

About the ZTE deal, Roxas introduced a resolution urging President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to cancel the Philippine government’s National Broadband Network (NBN) project with China’s Zhong Xing Telecommunications Equipment (ZTE) Corporation.

Roxas said that the $329.4-million deal “was driven by supply and not by demand” and will not benefit Filipinos. He believes that the cancellation of the deal would not affect the relationship of the Philippines with China.^[49]

In order to finally put a just closure to national divisiveness, Roxas filed Senate Resolution No. 135 calling on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to issue a pardon to former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada (popularly known as “Erap”) at the appropriate time, in which he said: “The grant of pardon to Erap on humanitarian grounds should not in any way be construed as condoning corruption, or as diminishing the legal weight of the ruling of the Sandiganbayan, but serves solely as an embodiment of the people’s will for closure on one of the most divisive chapters of our national life.”^[50]

Regarding the Japan–Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement, Roxas has said: “In trade negotiations, no deal is always better than a bad deal.”^[51]

He issued a warning after President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo pressed on the Senate to ratify the Japan-Philippine Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) amid concerns aired by Tokyo for the early approval.

Roxas was optimistic that the pact would be given serious consideration by the Senate if the government revised the deal to get a better trade-off.^[52]

Aquino cabinet

Main article: Benigno Aquino III presidential campaign, 2010

Further information: Philippine presidential election, 2010

After his election to the Senate in 2004, Roxas was immediately seen as a potential presidential candidate in the 2010 presidential election. While Roxas himself was coy on his plans, the Mar Roxas for President movement gathered steam with the Liberal Party targeting the youth in the run-up to the election. Other signs included the sprouting of Mar Roxas for President spots on the internet and his colleagues endorsing him as the party’s standard bearer. Then Senator Benigno Aquino III declared him as the Liberal Party’s nominee and Former Senator Jovito Salonga, Chairman Emeritus of the party, once introduced him as “the next President of the Philippine Republic.”^[53] Senator Franklin Drilon had also confirmed that Roxas was the party’s standard bearer in the election.^[54]

However, on September 1, 2009, at the historic Club Filipino, Roxas delivered a speech at a press conference announcing his decision to withdraw from the race and support the candidacy of Aquino for the presidency. Aquino officially launched his campaign eight days later. On September 21, 2009, Roxas, alongside Aquino, officially announced his candidacy for the vice presidency as the nominee of the Liberal Party for Vice President, launching the Aquino-Roxas campaign.^[55][56] On November 28, 2009, Aquino and Roxas filed their certificate of candidacy for President and Vice President respectively.

He was defeated by Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) by the narrowest margin in the history of the Fifth Republic. Binay’s upset victory over Roxas was attributed to the success of the Aquino-Binay campaign, which began when Senator Francis Escudero endorsed Aquino and Binay as President and Vice President respectively. This was done without the consent of the two candidates, especially since Escudero, Binay, and Aquino all came from different political parties. Roxas filed an electoral protest to the Supreme Court of the Philippines at the Presidential Electoral Tribunal. On July 12, 2010, the Supreme Court after reviewing Roxas’ electoral protest, declared it sufficient in form and substance and the Presidential Electoral Tribunal sent summons to Vice President Binay to file a comment within 10 days upon receipt of the summons.^[57]

Roxas also requested the Presidential Electoral Tribunal to order an independent forensic examination of the 26,000 compact flash cards and the source code of the PCOS machines used in the 2010 elections. As of August 2015, the case remains in pre-trial stage, with the last action taken by the tribunal dating back to December 2012.^[58]

Roxas accepted the offer of Aquino to be appointed as Secretary of Transportation and Communications, replacing the outgoing Secretary Jose de Jesus, who had resigned earlier. He took office on June 30, 2011.^[8] His appointment was given unanimous consent by the Commission on Appointments on October 12, 2011.^[59]

On August 31, 2012, President Aquino appointed him as Secretary of Interior and Local Government, replacing Jesse Robredo, who had died in a plane crash on the shores of Masbate Island thirteen days earlier.^[60] It was Roxas who announced the death of Robredo and confirmed that the rescue operations for the two pilots, Captain Jessup Bahinting and Nepalese flight student Kshitiz Chand, had been turned into a retrieval operation.^[61]

On August 3, 2015, Roxas officially tendered his resignation as Secretary of the Interior and Local Government in order to focus on his presidential campaign. In his resignation letter to President Aquino, he once again thanked him for his endorsement and vowed to “begin the process of turning over in an orderly manner all the matters pending in my office.”^[62] During his final flag ceremony at Camp Crame, Roxas bade goodbye to his colleagues and thanked the members of the Philippine National Police. “It has been my pleasure and a great honor to serve with you I give you my snappy salute”, he told police officials present.^[12]

Presidential bid

Roxas is the Liberal Party’s standard bearer in the 2016 presidential election]]. On July 31, 2015, at an event dubbed as “A Gathering of Friends”, Roxas formally accepted his party’s nomination after he was officially endorsed by President Benigno Aquino III in the presence of their political allies at the Club Filipino, where Roxas had announced his decision to withdraw from the 2010 presidential election and give way to Aquino’s presidential bid. Aquino also announced his candidacy there on September 9, 2009. In an emotional speech, Roxas declared that he would not deviate from the “straight path” initiated by Aquino in the fight against poverty and corruption.^[9][10][11] On the same day, Roxas formally launched his campaign website.

In a speech during which he paid tribute to his late grandfather, President Manuel Roxas, his late father, Senator Gerardo Roxas and late brother, Rep. Dinggoy Roxas, Roxas declared that he would not betray the reforms initiated by the Aquino administration and vowed to continue Aquino’s “Daang Matuwid” agenda:

As confetti filled the Cory Aquino Kalayaan Hall and singer-songwriter Noel Cabangon sang “Dapat Ang Pangulo”, the official song of the campaign, Aquino raised Roxas’ hand after the speech as a sign of complete support for his campaign.^[64]

Personal life

Roxas was previously in a relationship with former beauty queen Maricar Zaldarriaga, with whom he has an adult son, Paolo Roxas.^[20]

In 2002, she met Korina Sanchez, a news anchor from ABS-CBN.^[65] In the April 25, 2009, episode of the ABS-CBN noontime show Wowowee where Sanchez appeared as a guest co-host alongside Willie Revillame, Sanchez and Roxas announced their engagement.^[66][67] Sanchez took a leave of absence from her duties at ABS-CBN on May 2009.^[68] They married on October 27, 2009 at a ceremony in Quezon City, where Roxas’ former running mate in the 2010 election, then-Senator (later President) Benigno Aquino III, was one of the couple’s primary wedding sponsors. The Manila Philharmonic Orchestra and the Philippine Madrigal Singers provided the music during the wedding. Other notable performers included Basil Valdez, Robert Sena, and Jamie Rivera.^[69] The couple owns a black labrador retriever and two schnauzer dogs.^[20]

As of 2014, he has a declared net worth of PHP 202.08 million.^[20]

Awards

• In 1996, Roxas was recognized by the World Economic Forum as “one of the Global Leaders of Tomorrow who are expected to shape the future.”^[70]
• In 1999, Roxas was named by the Asiaweek Magazine as “Political Leader of the New Millennium.”^[71]
• The Singapore Government has awarded him as the 16th Lee Kuan Yew Fellow.^[72]
• On February 16, 2007, the E-Services Philippines awarded Roxas with the E-Champion Award recognizing his pioneering efforts and leadership in making the Philippines a popular outsourcing destination of choice.^[73]
• On September 18, 2007, Roxas was conferred with the Palanca Awards Gawad Dangal ng Lahi by CP Group Chairman Carlos Palanca III, Palanca Foundation Director General Sylvia Palanca-Quirino and Deputy Director General Christine Quirino-Pacheco for serving as an exemplary leader and role model to the Filipino.^[74]

References

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• · Casayuran, Mario B. (October 12, 2011). “CA confirms Mar’s DoTC appointment”. Manila Bulletin. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
• · “Mar Roxas on DILG post: ‘I have big tsinelas to fill'”. Yahoo! News. August 18, 2012. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
• · “DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo has been found dead”. Yahoo! News. August 18, 2012. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
• · “Mar Roxas leaving Aquino Cabinet”. ABS-CBN News. August 3, 2015. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
• · [2]
• · “Mar Roxas launches 2016 presidential bid”. Rappler. July 31, 2015. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
• · Bonifacio, Julie (September 11, 2008). “Sen. Mar Roxas tells story of six-year relationship with Korina Sanchez”. Philippine Entertainment Portal (GMA Network Inc.). Retrieved January 3, 2016.
• · “Senator, TV Anchor confirm engagement”. Inquirer.net. April 25, 2009. Retrieved April 25, 2009.
• · Jumilla, Lynda (April 25, 2009). “Korina wipes away Mar’s tears on ‘Wowowee'”. ABS-CBN News. Retrieved April 25, 2009.
• · “Mar, Korina confirmed wedding plans”. The Philippine Star. April 26, 2009. Retrieved April 26, 2009.
• · “Mar-Korina wedding ‘locked and loaded'”. abs-cbnNEWS.com. October 27, 2009. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
• · “DTI – Roxas”. Office of the President – Philippines. Archived from the original on January 21, 2008. Retrieved January 30, 2008.
• · “DTI – Roxas”. Tinig ng Marino – Special Features: Mar Roxas and Rodolfo Biazon. Retrieved January 30, 2008.
• · “Senator Manuel A. Roxas II – Profile”. Liberal Party of the Philippines. Retrieved January 30, 2008.
• · “e-Services Philippines 2007 : 111”. E-Services Philippines. February 16, 2007. Retrieved January 30, 2008.

74. “Palanca Awards confers Gawad Dangal ng Lahi to Senator Mar Roxas”. ClickTheCity.Com. September 18, 2007. Retrieved January 30, 2008.

WHO IS JEJOMAR BINAY?

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jejomar “Jojo” Cabauatan Binay, Sr.^{[1]^[A]} (born November 11, 1942)^{^[B]} is the fifteenth Vice President of the Republic of the Philippines under President Benigno S. Aquino III and is one of five remaining candidates in the 2016 Philippines presidential election.

He was appointed by former President Corazon Aquino as officer-in-charge of Makati City from 1986-1987. After his assignment, he was elected as Makati City mayor from 1988-1998.^[2] During this term, he acted as the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman from 1990 to 1991. In 2001, he was reelected as mayor until the end of his term in 2010.^[2] He resigned as Chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council and as Presidential Adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers in June 22, 2015.^[3]

Binay is a member of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), which is a coalition between the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino and the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino – Lakas ng Bayan. It was founded as an electoral alliance in 2012, and later became an official political party in 2014.

Early life

Jejomar Binay was born in Paco, Manila. The name “Jejomar” is a portmanteau of Jesus, Joseph, and Mary. He is the younger of two children of Diego “Jego” Medrano Binay, a librarian from Bauan, Batangas, a school teacher from Cabagan, Isabela. He had an older sibling who died before he was born making him the only one who survived childhood.^[1] After being orphaned at the age of nine, he was adopted by his uncle, Ponciano Binay.^[4][5]

Education

Binay finished basic education at the Philippine Normal College^[2] Training Department and graduated from the University of the Philippines Preparatory School.

He went to the University of the Philippines Diliman for college and graduated in 1962 with a degree in Political Science.^[2] He continued on to the UP College of Law and graduated in 1967 then passed the bar examinations in 1968. He got a master’s degree from the University of Sto. Tomas in 1980 and a master’s degree in National Security Administration from the National Defense College of the Philippines. He took up Strategic Economic Program in the Center for Research and Communication. He enrolled in a Non-Resident and General Staff Course at the Command and General Staff College, AFP and joined the seniors executive fellow program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government in Harvard University. He earned a doctorate in Public Administration (Honoris Causa) from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, and Doctor of Humanities (Honoris Causa) from the Laguna State Polytechnic University. In 1993, he received a diploma in Land Use Program from the University of the Philippines. In 1996, he finished the Top Management Program at the Asian Institute of Management in Bali, Indonesia. He also took up the Joint Services and Command Staff course in the AFP. He also has a master’s degree in Management at the Philippine Christian University and a diploma in Environmental and Natural Resources Management from the University of the Philippines Open University.^[2]

Legal career

Upon passing the bar examination to be a lawyer, Binay took up human rights law. During the Martial Law period, he represented political prisoners in the 1970s for no charge.^[6] After some time, he himself was detained.

It was also during the Marcos regime that Binay and other human rights lawyers created the Movement of Attorneys for Brotherhood, Integrity, and Nationalism (MABINI)^[7]

Political career

Makati mayor

First term

On February 27, 1986, Binay became one of President Corazon Aquino’s first appointed local officials after Mayor Nemesio I. Yabut died while in office during the EDSA Revolution.^[8] He was elected in his own right on January 18, 1988 and was reelected on May 11, 1992 and on May 8, 1995.

He joined pro-democracy forces in preventing the mutinies against the Aquino administration from being successful. His active role in the defense of the Constitution earned him the nickname “Rambotito” (or little Rambo, after the screen hero), the Outstanding Achievement Medal and a special commendation from Aquino.

Second term

On May 14, 2001, Binay reclaimed his post as mayor of Makati, winning over actor, TV host, and then-vice mayor Edu Manzano in a landslide and became a critic of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. He won his second term on May 10, 2004 by a large margin against 1st district Councilor Oscar Ibay. He ran for his third and last term as mayor May 14, 2007 and won again by a significant margin beating incumbent Senator and actor Lito Lapid. His margin over Lapid has been considered as the largest margin in a local election in Makati City.^[9]

Scandals

In October 2006, the Department of the Interior and Local Government issued a suspension order against then Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado, and all members of the City Council following an accusation of ‘ghost employees’ on the city payroll by former Vice Mayor Roberto Brillante, a political rival.^[10] Refusing to cooperate with the suspension order, he barricaded himself inside the Makati City Hall. Among those who expressed support were former President Corazon Aquino, actress Susan Roces – the widow of the late movie star and 2004 opposition presidential candidate Fernando Poe Jr. – and several Catholic bishops.^[11][12] After a three-day stand-off, the Court of Appeals issued a temporary restraining order. Before it lapsed, the court issued an injunction order, thereby preventing the Office of the President from enforcing its suspension order until the case was resolved.^[13]

Binay – together with his wife, Elenita, and nine others – was vindicated by the courts in a graft case filed by the Office of the Ombudsman over allegations of overpricing in the purchase of office furniture. Allegedly, he had irregular purchases worth ₱232 million from the years 1991-2006. The case was also filed by Brillante, who at that time was leading in Makati a Palace-supported signature campaign to amend the Constitution. The Sandiganbayan Third Division dismissed the graft case filed against him and his six co-accused for lack of factual basis even prior to Binay’s arraignment.^[14] Critics claim the suspension order was intended to distract attention from the government’s own scandals.^[15]

On May 2, 2007 the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) froze all the bank accounts of the city government of Makati and the personal accounts of then Mayor Binay and then Vice Mayor Mercado.

The BIR issued the order after it said the city still owed the BIR ₱1.1 billion in withholding taxes of city employees from 1999 to 2002. BIR revenue officer Roberto Baquiran signed and issued the warrant of garnishment against the bank accounts that belonged to Binay, Mercado, the city government and the city’s treasurer and accountant.

The city government protested the garnishment order, saying the city had already paid ₱200 million to the BIR as part of a settlement agreement agreed to by Finance Secretary Margarito Teves and former BIR chief Jose Buñag. The city also said the order was flawed, since Baquiran had no authority to issue writs of garnishment and freezing the personal accounts of Binay and Mercado were also unlawful.^[16][17]

Ordered by the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA), Binay was made to pay the deficiency in taxes amounting to more than ₱1.1 billion to the BIR, in December 2009.

The garnishment orders were eventually lifted by Malacañang Palace, but not until after Binay slammed the move as politically motivated and patently illegal.^[18][19]

Binay’s camp claimed and accused former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of political harassment. Because of this, as per the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), a suspension order was served against Binay over alleged corruption. The latter said that the tax obligations were already settled between the BIR and the Makati City government.

And again, barely a week before the local elections, the Ombudsman suspended him based on allegations made by a local candidate allied with Malacañan. It would be revealed that the charges were supported by falsified statements. In a repeat of the October 2006 incident, heavily armed policemen barged into the City Hall after office hours, forcibly opening the offices and occupying the building. He confronted police officials and representatives of the Department of Interior and Local Government, while hundreds of supporters once again swarmed the city hall quadrangle to show their support.^[20]

The suspension order generated national media attention, and prompted even administration senatorial candidates to protest publicly, saying the action further undermined their chances in the elections.^[21] Despite the controversy of this tax liability issue, Binay still won the position of vice president in 2010 by a landslide victory^[22]

A photo of then Vice Presidential candidate and former Makati City Mayor Binay, with his rumored mistress, was leaked online.

Though he admitted to having an extramarital affair, he said that the leaked photo was part of “black propaganda” against him, because of his high ratings in the Vice Presidential survey conducted prior to the leaking of the photo.

The alleged “black propaganda” device had little to no effect on the campaign of Binay, who closed the gap of votes between him and leading vice presidential candidate Senator Manuel “Mar” Roxas II in a formerly conducted survey. Despite the issue, Binay’s landslide victory landed him the position of vice president.^[23]

Vice Presidency

Binay initially announced his bid for the presidency for the 2010 elections during his 66th birthday celebration at the Makati City Hall on November 11, 2008 but abandoned his bid in order to give way to the reelection bid of former President Estrada. He eventually became Estrada’s running mate and ran under the banner of Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-LABAN).

He initially showed a relatively poor performance in the public opinion polls, trailing behind Senators Loren Legarda and Mar Roxas, who was heavily favored to win the race, but his standings improved as the elections approached, overtaking Legarda and tying with Roxas in the final survey conducted.^[24][25] He went on to narrowly defeat Roxas in the election by 700,000 votes.

Roxas filed an election protest before the Presidential Electoral Tribunal of the Supreme Court, which is still currently pending.

Binay took his oath as vice president on June 30, 2010, becoming the first local government official to do so.

He was appointed as chairman of the Housing Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) by President Noynoy Aquino, the same position held by his predecessor, Vice-President Noli de Castro and Presidential Adviser for OFW Concerns. He also heads the Task Force OFW which helps Overseas Filipino Workers who were maltreated by their employers to return to the Philippines with the assistance of the government.

Corruption

There are numerous corruption allegations against Binay dating from 2014 to the present time:

Binay counters allegations of corruption against him at the Senate Blue Ribbon sub-committee hearings held in the Makati City Hall Building 2.

Investigations regarding all these allegations of corruption are being conducted by the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Philippine Senate, and the Office of the Ombudsman.

Binay is currently facing accusations by former vice president of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP), Ernesto Mercado, of accepting and misappropriating money received from a deal between the BSP and Alphaland Corporation back in 2008.^[34][35] Initially accused of receiving ₱200 million in kickback from the deal and using it to fund his 2010 campaign for vice president,^[36] Mercado has amended his statement to reflect the possibility that if Binay has sold the shares he received, he could have made anywhere between ₱233 million and ₱651 million.^[34]

Mercado has also stated that although the Boy Scouts of the Philippines were supposed to have received ₱600 million for their end of the deal, the organization has yet to be compensated. This is seconded by the current vice president of the BSP, Atty. Wendell Avisado who further added that he believes that they will only be paid when construction of the podium in Alphaland Makati Tower is completed.^[35] Avisado adds, however, that Alphaland has been consistently paying the BSP ₱530,000 monthly for the use of a BSP podium that is currently being used by Alphaland as a showroom.^[36]

Sen. Trillanes believes that if Binay becomes president, he will release former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the 3 Senators allegedly involved in the Pork barrel scam, Bong Revilla, Jinggoy Estrada and Juan Ponce Enrile from detention. The subcommittee concluded the hearings on January 25, 2016.

Currently, Binay’s camp is denying these allegations.^[37]

Presidential bid

Binay with Cavite Governor Jonvic Remulla during the signing of a coalition agreement between the United Nationalist Alliance and Partido Magdalo.

Main article: Jejomar Binay presidential campaign, 2016

Initially he polled highly among expected presidential candidates for the Philippine general election, 2016.^[38][39][40] However, in the September 2015 Pulse Asia he placed third after Senator Grace Poe and Mar Roxas, the ruling Liberal Party presidential candidate. His trust rating had also dropped 18%.

Speculation as to who his running mate will be come 2016 have seen fingers pointed in many directions, including the likes of PLDT Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan,^[41] Senator Jinggoy Estrada,^[42] Rep. Manny Pacquiao,^[43] Nacionalista Party President Manny Villar,^[44] and Batangas Governor Vilma Santos.^[45] But later revealed to be Gringo Honasan.

Platform

Vice President Binay disclosed his platform for his 2016 Presidential bid during his speech in the Integrated Bar of the Philippines in Cebu City on March 20, 2015.^[46]

He aims to improve the situation in the state colleges and universities, public health hospitals and clinics, police stations, and mass housing. An increase in both salaries and benefits of public school teachers and health workers, members of the police force, and other public servants was also promised. In his plans include a redesigning and re-engineering of the transportation system of the country, as well as prioritizing the building of more infrastructures and the creation of more jobs. He proposes to change the constitution to boost the economy, and speed up the country’s development.^[46]

In early July of the same year, Binay expressed UNA’s (his party list) platform for 2016 in a speech:

Ang sigaw ng UNA at ng taumbayan sawa na tayo sa kahirapan, sawa na tayo sa kawalan ng hanapbuhay, sawa na tayo sa kriminalidad at ilegal na droga. Sawa na tayo sa kakulangan ng basic services… hirap na tayo sa manhid at palpak na pamahalaan,

What UNA and the citizens are expressing is that we’re tired of poverty, we’re tired of unemployment, we’re tired of criminals and illegal drugs. We’re tired of the lack of basic services…we’re struggling under a numb and failed government,

Personal life

He is married to Dr. Elenita Sombilo Binay, who also served as mayor of Makati from 1998 to 2001. They have 5 children:^[47]

• Maria Lourdes “Nancy” Binay
• Mar-Len Abigail Binay
• Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay
• Marita Angeline “Stike” Binay
• Joanna Marie Blanca “Liongo” Binay

Recognition

1992

• Outstanding Award, Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA)
• Award on the Luzon Campaign Medal

2002

• Special Presidential Award for Service
• Leadership Award, Presidential Citation

2003

• Most Outstanding City Mayor of Makati and Consumers Advocate Award

2004

• University of the Philippines Oblation Run Award Best in Sports Wear

2005

• Centennial Medal of Honor
• Outstanding Public Official and Great Achiever

2006

• World Mayor Award granted by London-based City Mayors^[48]

Notes

1. ^{[Note 1]}His birth name was supposed to be Jesús Jose Maria Cabauatan Binay, but Maria was not added in his birth certificate.
2. ^{[Note 2]}According to his birth certificate, he was born on November 10, 1942.^[1] However, according to other official documents, he was born on November 11, 1942, which is the date he personally prefers.

References

• Jejomar Binay’s Birth Certificate
• · “Profile of Jejomar “Jojo” Cabauatan Binay | ABS-CBN News”. http://www.abs-cbnnews.com. Retrieved 2015-07-03.
• · “LOOK: VP Binay’s one-sentence resignation letter”. Retrieved 2015-07-03.
• · “Biography of Hon. Jejomar C. Binay, City Mayor”. City of Makati. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
• · “Vice President Jejomar “Jojo” C. Binay”. Office of the Vice President of the Phil. Republic of the Philippines. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
• · Ager, Maila. “Binay presses martial law human rights victims to claim compensation”. newsinfo.inquirer.net. Retrieved 2015-07-04.
• · ABS-CBNnews.com, By. “‘Martial law’ in Senate disturbs Joker, Saguisag”. Retrieved 2015-07-04.
• · “Jejomar C Binay”. World Mayor. City Mayors Foundation. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
• · Makati City Government official website, Biography of Hon. Jejomar C. Binay,
• · Michael Punongbayan Binay suspended for 60 days. Philstar.com. October 18, 2006
• · Maila Ager, Veronica Uy, Thea Alberto Allies rush to embattled Binay’s side. Inquirer.net. 10/17/2006
• · Erap to Palace: Stop harassing opposition. Philstar.com. October 18, 2006
• · CA stops Binay’s suspension. Philstar.com. Updated October 20, 2006
• · Norman Bordadora Sandigan Bayan clears Binay of graft charge. Inquirer.net. 10/31/2006
• · Binay’s suspension a political vendetta. Inquirer.net. 10/19/2006
• · DJ Yap Assets seizure could hurt City Hall – Binay. Inquirer.net. 05/04/2007
• · Michael Punongbayan and Jose Rodel Clapano Suspension for Binay. Philstar.com. May 05, 2007
• · DJ Yap and Fe Zamora Palace retreats on Binay. Inquirer.net. 05/07/2007
• · Daxim Lucas BIR unfreezes Makati funds. Inquirer.net. 05/06/2007
• · Julie M. Aurelio, Tarra Quismundo Binay questions suspension order. Inquirer.net. May 5, 2007
• · Sandy Araneta Binay questions suspension. Philstar.com. May 09, 2007
• · “Congress proclaims Aquino, Binay as new President, Vice-President” abs-cbnnews.com. June 9, 2010
• · “BIR to probe Makati City gov’t”. Retrieved 2015-07-02.
• · Binay overtakes Legarda in VP race. ABS-CBNNews.com. April 29, 2010
• · Christian Esguerra and Philip Tubeza Binay ties Roxas; Aquino pulls away. Inquirer.net. 05/07/2010
• · Ager, Maila. “Mercado: ‘Hacienda Binays’ bigger than Luneta, Araneta Center”. newsinfo.inquirer.net. Retrieved 2015-07-10.
• · Dizon, David (October 8, 2014). “Binay owns mansions in Tagaytay, Batangas: Mercado”. ABS-CBN News.
• · “The Unexplained Wealth of Jejomar Binay – Vice-President | Global Balita”. Retrieved 2015-07-10.
• · “Contractor of ‘overpriced’ Makati building also building condo Rep. Binay won in raffle”. Retrieved 2015-07-10.
• · “Binay son asked to explain P50-million Makati house”. Retrieved 2015-07-10.
• · “Binay needs to resolve his image – The Standard”. Retrieved 2015-07-10.
• · Go, Miriam Grace (October 8, 2014). “The Lord of Makati: Can Binay explain his wealth?”. Rappler.
• · “Binay foes: Witnesses to expose ‘ghost’ workers”. Retrieved 2015-07-10.
• · Cruz, RG (2015-02-18). “Binay got over P500M in kickbacks, Mercado claims”. ABSCBNnews.com. Retrieved 2015-07-07.
• · Calonzo, Andreo (2015-02-18). “Alphaland president may have committed tax fraud in Boy Scouts land deal – senator”. GMA News Online. Retrieved 2015-07-07.
• · “Boy Scouts: No anomaly in property deal with Alphaland”. GMA News Online. 2015-01-22. Retrieved 2015-07-07.
• · “ABSCBN News”. 2015-01-22. Retrieved 2015-07-07.
• · http://www.rappler.com/nation/56725-binay-runaway-winner-pulse-asia-poll
• · http://blogs.wsj.com/searealtime/2014/07/10/in-philippines-vice-president-stands-out-for-2016-race/
• · http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2014/07/19/1347910/binay-tops-poll-presidential-bets-grace-2nd
• · https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uR0fbR0ygOM
• · https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TsMrNUpJzE
• · http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/382405/news/nation/vp-binay-open-to-manny-pacquiao-as-2016-running-mate-but
• · https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpObaU9km3A
• · https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AkDmUz323U
• · “Binay: Lawyer should lead Phl in 2016”. Retrieved 2015-07-09.
• · “Vice President’s Corner”. Office of the Vice President of the Philippines. Republic of the Philippines. Retrieved 18 January 2016.

48. Singcol, Anna Katrina (May 13, 2009). “Profile of Jejomar “Jojo” Cabauatan Binay”. ABS-CBN News.

WHO IS GRACE POE?

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mary Grace Natividad Sonora Poe Llamanzares (born September 3, 1968) is the adopted daughter of Filipino actors Susan Roces and Fernando Poe, Jr. She served as chairperson of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) from 2010 to 2012 and in the Philippine Senate since 2013.

She initially studied at the University of the Philippines Manila, where she majored in development studies, but moved to Boston College in Massachusetts, United States where she finished a degree in political science and has spent much of her adult life in Fairfax, Virginia.

In 2004, her adoptive father ran for the Philippine presidency against the incumbent, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, but was defeated; he died months later. On April 8, 2005, Grace returned to the Philippines after learning that her father had died. She began pursuing her father’s rights over the results of the election and campaigned against alleged electoral fraud.

Poe ran for a seat in the Philippine Senate during the election in 2013 as an Independent affiliated with the Team PNoy coalition of Aquino. She ended up winning more votes than other candidates and over 20 million votes, ahead of Loren Legarda, who previously topped two elections.

Early life

Poe was legally adopted by the actors Fernando Poe, Jr. and Susan Roces and she was named Mary Grace Natividad Sonora Poe by them.^[1] Consequently, she is an adopted half-sister of actors Ronian and Lovi Poe.^[2] While still young, she watched her father from the sets of his movies—even playing minor roles in some of them,^[3] such as the daughter of Paquito Diaz‘s character in Durugin si Totoy Bato, and as a street child in Dugo ng Bayan.^[4][5] Although she contemplated becoming an actress throughout her childhood, her father wished that she finish her studies first before entering the entertainment industry.^[4] Ultimately, Poe did not enter show business.^[5][6]

Education

She attended elementary school at Saint Paul College of Pasig and Saint Paul College of Makati.^[7] In 1982, Poe transferred to Assumption College San Lorenzo for high school, where she competed in a number of oratorical contests and was captain of the school’s debating team in her senior year.^[5] By the time she graduated from Assumption in 1986, she decided instead to pursue public service in order to set a different career path for herself, as well as to avoid being compared to her parents.^[4]

Following high school, Poe entered the University of the Philippines Manila (UP), where she majored in development studies. While at UP, she served in the student council as a class representative for the two years she was there. She later decided to continue her undergraduate studies abroad both to experience and prove her independence,^[7] and as a form of silent rebellion in order to avoid the possibility of shaming her parents.^[4] She transferred to Boston College, where she graduated with a degree in political science in 1991. While in Boston, she co-founded the school’s Filipino Cultural Club and served as an intern for the campaign of William Weld in the 1990 Massachusetts gubernatorial election.^[5]

Political career

Election, 2004

Further information: Hello Garci

In 2003, her adoptive father, Fernando Poe, Jr. announced that he was entering politics, running for President of the Philippines in the upcoming election under the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP) against then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Poe returned to the Philippines to help him campaign, but returned to the United States afterward.^[3]

Fernando Poe, Jr. was rushed to the hospital after a stroke later that year.^[8] Grace immediately returned to the Philippines, only to arrive shortly after her father had died on December 14, 2004.^[3][9] Following her father’s death, Poe and her family decided to return permanently to the Philippines on April 8, 2005, in order to be with her widowed mother.^[3][5][10]

Media regulatory board

In the 2010 general election, Poe served as a convenor of Kontra Daya,^[5] a poll watchdog organized to prevent electoral fraud, and spoke publicly about wanting to prevent further cheating in the elections like the way her father was allegedly cheated in 2004.^[11] She also became honorary chairperson of the FPJ for President Movement (FPJPM), the group which was organized to pressure her father to run in 2004, continuing the movement’s social relief programs for the less fortunate.^[5] On October 10, 2010, President Benigno Aquino III appointed Poe to serve as chairwoman of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), succeeding outgoing chairwoman Ma. Consoliza Laguardia,^[12] who was appointed to the position in 2003. The appointment came as a surprise to Poe, having learned of her appointment while vacationing with her mother in California only two days before the formal announcement was made.^[5] She was sworn in on October 21, 2010 at the Malacañang Palace, and was later reappointed by President Aquino for another term on October 23, 2011.^[13] She continued to serve until October 2, 2012, when she filed her candidacy for senator.

While at the MTRCB, Poe had advocated for a “progressive” agency which would have enabled the television and film industries to help the Philippine economy,^[14] with her tenure being marked by an emphasis on diplomacy.^[15] At the beginning of her term, Poe instigated the implementation of a new ratings system for television programs,^[16] which she said was “designed to empower parents to exercise caution and vigilance with the viewing habits of their children”.^[17] This was complemented by the implementation of a new ratings system for movies—a system which closely follows the new television ratings system—at the end of her term.^[18]

The MTRCB under Poe’s tenure also implemented policies and programs to promote “intelligent viewing”,^[19] such as promulgating the implementing rules and regulations for the Children’s Television Act of 1997 some fifteen years after its passage,^[20] and enforcing restrictions on the type of viewing material that can be shown on public buses.^[21] Despite this thrust, Poe has spoken out against restrictions on freedom of expression,^[22] preferring self-regulation to censorship.^[5] During this time, she encouraged the creation of new cinematic output through the reduction of review fees despite cuts to its budget,^[17][23] and has promoted the welfare of child and female actors.^[24][25]

Election, 2013

Further information: Team PNoy

Although Poe was rumored to be running for an elective position as early as 2010,^[26] it was not confirmed that she would stand for election until October 1, 2012, when President Aquino announced that she was selected by the administration Team PNoy coalition as a member of their senatorial slate.^[27] Poe filed her certificate of candidacy the next day on October 2, 2012.^[28] Although running under the banner of the Team PNoy coalition, Poe officially ran as an independent.^[27] Poe was also a guest candidate of the left-leaning Makabayang Koalisyon ng Mamamayan.^[29] Until February 21, 2013,^[30] Poe was, along with Senators Loren Legarda and Francis Escudero, one of three common guest candidates of the opposition United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) of Vice-President Jejomar Binay.^[28]

Analysts noted the rapid rise of Poe in national election surveys, which community organizer Harvey Keh attributed to popular sympathy for her father,^[31] fueled in part by high public trust in the Poe name.^[32] Prior to the start of the election season, Poe was ranked twenty-eighth in a preliminary survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) in mid-2012, before the start of the filing period.^[33] Immediately after filing her candidacy, Poe initially ranked fifteenth in the first survey of the election, published by StratPOLLS.^[34] While she ranked as low as twentieth in a survey published by SWS later in the year, she entered the top 12 in January 2013,^[35] where she stayed. In the last survey issued by Pulse Asia in April 2013, she was ranked third.^[36]

While Poe herself admitted that her biggest strength in the campaign was her surname, she also conceded that it would be insufficient for her to be elected simply on that alone, emphasizing that her platform is just as important as her name in getting her elected to the Senate.^[32] She also dismissed claims that her candidacy was her family’s revenge against her father’s loss in 2004, saying that all she wants to do is serve should she be elected to the Senate.^[31] A day after the election, Poe was announced as among the winners with her having the highest number of votes.^[37] She was officially proclaimed a senator by the COMELEC board on May 2013, along with fellow Team PNoy candidates Chiz Escudero, Sonny Angara, Alan Peter Cayetano, and Loren Legarda, as well United Nationalist Alliance candidate Nancy Binay (who did not attend, opting instead to send her lawyer to represent her).^[38]

Platform

In the 2013 elections, Poe ran on an eleven-point platform focused on poverty alleviation, youth opportunity and electoral reform,^[39] promising to continue the legacy of her father.^[40] Her labor legislative agenda also includes more opportunities, skill development and growth for Filipino workers, employment security for the disabled and handicapped, and protection of workers in the informal sector.^[41] Specific policies she advocated in the course of her campaign include reviving the national elementary school lunch program first introduced during Marcos Era,^[42] the installation of closed-circuit television cameras in government offices,^[43] and stricter penalties against child pornography,^[31] continuing her earlier advocacy during her time at the MTRCB. In addition, she has also advocated against Internet censorship.^[32]

Poe also stresses the importance of female participation in government, having already filed a number of legislations for the betterment of women and children in her term of office; she has also called for an investigation on the proliferation of cybersex dens that prey on children and women, and an inquiry on the condition of women detainees and prisoners.^[32]

“Effective leadership can be gleaned not just from the progress of a few but the advancement of the majority, especially of those who find themselves in the fringes,” Poe said during a speech delivered at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) on May 28, 2015. This was attended mostly by female leaders and entrepreneurs. “It is important for women to have genuine meaningful participation in public affairs. Women leaders have an invaluable take on issues of public interest.”^[44]

Senate

On her first day as a senator in the 16th Congress, Poe filed a bill promoting “film tourism” which aims to make the Philippines a primary location for local and international films. She said that this would generate jobs and promote tourism in the Philippines as well.^[45] Poe also filed the “Sustenance for the Filipino child” bill which seeks to give free nutritious meals to children enrolled in public elementary schools and high schools in K-12.^[46] It aims to solve hunger and malnutrition which hindered the Filipino youth’s potential. Another notable bill filed by Poe is the “First 1000 days” bill which seeks to protect and support Filipino children in their first 1,000 days after they were born.^[47] This addresses the problem of malnutrition of Filipino children by providing nutrition counselling, milk feeding, and other needs of children. In addition, Poe is also pushing for the Freedom of Information bill which will promote greater transparency and lessen corruption in the government. This bill will allow government transactions to be open to the public.^[48] In 2015, she led the legislature’s investigations into the Mamasapano clash, which left 44 Special Action Force members dead.^[49]

Presidential bid

Further information: Grace Poe presidential campaign, 2016 and Partido Galing at Puso

Poe was widely speculated to be a potential presidential or vice presidential candidate in the 2016 general elections,^{[51][52][53][54][55]} with possible running mates such as Rep. Leni Robredo^[56] and Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago.^[57][58][59] Poe placed first on a presidential preference poll issued by Pulse Asia In June 2015 with a rating of 30%, outranking previous front runner Vice President Jejomar Binay, who had a 22% rating.^[60][61] She also placed first in the vice-presidential poll, with a 41% preference nationwide.^[60][62] In an opinion survey issued by Social Weather Stations (SWS) in June 2015, Poe also placed first, with a 42% preference.^[63] She also placed first in SWS’ vice-presidential poll, with a 41% rating.^[64]

On September 16, 2015, Poe, together with Francis Escudero, declared her presidential bid, in front of hundreds of supporters, family and friends at the Bahay ng Alumni, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City under the newly coalition of Partido Galing at Puso, composed of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and is led by the Nationalist People’s Coalition.^[65] Former Philippine President and Mayor of Manila Joseph Estrada has given his support to her.^[66] On her speech announcing her presidential bid, Grace Poe laid down a 20-point program of government if she would be elected.^[67]

Qualification

Main article: David v. Poe

In June 2015, United Nations Alliance (UNA) interim president and Navotas City Representative Toby Tiangco claimed that Poe lacked the 10-year residency requirement for a presidential candidate. Poe had previously been working in the United States after finishing her graduate studies there, and only returned to the Philippines after her father’s death in 2004. She then revoked her U.S. citizenship to assume the role of chairperson of the MTRCB in 2010.^[68][69][70] There was an issue about Poe’s certificate of candidacy (COC) for senator in 2012 for the 2013 Philippine Senate Elections, in which she had stated that she had been a resident of the Philippines for six years and six months. It was argued that it might have been a mistake, but Raymond Fortun argued that she had to prove otherwise.^[69] Tiangco stated that even during the time of the 2016 Presidential Elections, Poe would still be six months short of the residency requirement.^[70]

On November 17, 2015, the Senate Electoral Tribunal opted to drop the cases against her. The clear implication was that they considered her a ‘natural-born Filipino’ within the peculiar usage of that phrase in Filipino legislation and was not excluded from becoming president on those grounds. Her political rivals Bam Aquino and Pia Cayetano, as well as her political allies Loren Legarda, Tito Sotto, and Cynthia Villar, voted in her favor.^[71] The decision was affirmed on December 3, 2015.^[72] In their judgment on the case, the SET declared that Grace Poe, a foundling, is a “natural-born Filipino“, which allowed her to retain her seat in the Philippine Senate.^{[73][74][75][76][77]} David filed a motion for reconsideration to reverse the ruling by SET,^[78] which was rejected on December 3, 2015,^[72] after which he filed an appeal with the Supreme Court.^[79]

On December 1, 2015, the COMELEC’s second division disqualified her as presidential candidate due to failing to meet the “10-year requirement” for residency.^[80] Under COMELEC rules, the party or coalition supporting her may file a substitute before December 10, 2015.^[81][82] On December 11, the commission’s first division also disqualified Poe. The first division, voted 2–1 in favor of the petitions to disqualify and cancel her certificate of candidacy.^[83] These decisions were appealed to the COMELEC en banc, which on December 23, 2015, formally disqualified Poe from running as president in the 2016 elections for failing to meet the 10-year residency requirement.^[84][85] Poe said she would appeal the disqualification to the Supreme Court. On December 28, 2015, the Supreme Court issued two temporary restraining orders against the decision of the COMELEC en banc.^[86]

On March 8, 2016, voting 9–6, the Supreme Court’s en banc allowed Poe to run for president after the en banc reverted the decision of COMELEC to cancel her certificate of candidacy due to her citizenship issues.^[87][88]

Personal life

Poe worked as a preschool teacher at a local Montessori education-style school in 1995. In 1998, she left her job as a teacher to work as a procurement liaison officer at the United States Geological Survey.^[5] In 2005, she was made Vice President and Treasurer of her father’s film production company, FPJ Productions, and was put in charge of maintaining the company’s archive of over 200 films,^[5] reportedly one of the best in the Philippines in terms of the number of films preserved.^[4]

Poe is an avid reader:^[89] she has read all the books of David Baldacci, who she describes as her favorite author,^[5] but she has also read books from a wide variety of genres and authors.^[89] She is also a film aficionado, watching all kinds of movies but with a particular affinity for action films, conspiracy movies, movies starring her father,^[5] and movies with happy endings.^[90] Poe is a tennis player and also has a black belt in taekwondo, having competed in tournaments while in high school.^[3]

Birth

Grace was allegedly born in Buenavista, Guimaras, Philippines to an unmarried couple. Her mother, Victoria Rodriguez, died in 1996. Her natural father is reputed to be either Fernando or Pacito Montañez, both of whom are deceased.^[91][92] Her reputed biological mother gave her up for adoption and took her to Jaro because of poverty and for fear of domestic violence by Grace’s alleged biological grandfather against his children, according to her alleged biological maternal aunt in December 2015.^{[93][94][95][96]} In a latest result, DNA tests between Poe and her alleged younger sister Lorena Rodriguez De Chavez showed negative results.^[97]

Her adoptive family claimed she was found on September 3, 1968 in Iloilo City by a woman,^{[3][98][99][100]} in the holy water font of Jaro Metropolitan Cathedral, the main church of the city.^[100] When the infant was discovered, the parish priest named her “Grace” in the belief that her finding was through the grace of God;^[3] she was christened by Jaime Sin, the Archbishop of Jaro, who would later become Archbishop of Manila.^[101] Although the cathedral issued an announcement in the hopes that her biological mother would claim her,^[3] no one stepped forward. Grace was taken in by the Militar family,^[1] with Sayong Militar’s in-law Edgardo, who was a signatory on the child’s foundling certificate, considered to be her possible father.^[101] Sayong Militar later passed Grace on to her friend Tessie Ledesma Valencia,^[99] an unmarried, childless heiress of a sugar baron from Bacolod, Negros Occidental.^[1]

Valencia was also friends with film stars Fernando Poe, Jr. and Susan Roces, who were newlyweds at the time; Valencia was an acquaintance of Roces and was the one who brought Grace in trips between Bacolod and Manila.^[3] The Poes took Grace in after Valencia decided the baby would be better off with two parents in the Philippines rather than with her as a single parent in the United States, where she was moving to.^[1][3] Militar was initially hesitant in the letting Poe couple adopt Grace because she was unfamiliar with them, having entrusted the baby to Valencia, but was convinced by Archbishop Sin to let the couple adopt her.^{[3][99] [100]} Controversy surrounds the identity of her birth parents, with a persistent urban legend stating Poe to be the daughter of former President Ferdinand Marcos^[102] from an affair with Rosemarie Sonora, Roces’ sister and a former movie star.^[103]

Another purported DNA test result was released in November 2015. It was signed by a “Julie Ludovico”, and falsely claimed she was a forensic scientist of DNA Solutions Philippines. This fabricated and faked document showed that fellow senator Bongbong Marcos is a relative of Grace Poe. However, this DNA result was a fabricated and faked document, according to a DNA Solutions official.^[104]

Family

Poe has two adoptive half-siblings through her father Fernando Poe Jr. Both of these half-siblings are actors: Ronian, born to actress Ana Marin;^[105] and Lourdes Virginia (Lovi), born to model Rowena Moran.^[106][107] Although she did not grow up with her half-siblings, even admitting that she met Lovi for the first time only after their father died,^[108] she has known of them while growing up, and they respect each other despite not being close to one another.^[109]

Poe met Teodoro Misael “Neil” Llamanzares in her senior year of high school.^[3] The two started dating thereafter, and married five years later on July 27, 1991, immediately after Poe graduated from Boston College at the age of 22.^[7] The marriage went against the wishes of her father, who wanted her to have a career first before marrying.^[4] Poe gave birth to her only son, Brian, who worked as a reporter for CNN Philippines,^[7] on April 16, 1992, and later gave birth to two daughters: Hanna in 1998, and Nikka in 2004.^[7][110] Her family lived a quiet life in Fairfax, Virginia for 12 years.^[5]

Citizenship

On October 18, 2001, Poe acquired U.S. citizenship by naturalization after a petition by her husband Neil, who was a dual citizen of the Philippines and the United States. According to her private counsel, Poe applied for U.S. citizenship due to the difficulty permanent residents had when applying for a job after the September 11 attacks.^[111] In July 2005, she officially began her permanent residency in the Philippines, shortly after returning to the Philippines to assist her family after her father’s death. She applied for dual citizenship a year later, when she reacquired her Philippine citizenship. In October 2010, Poe renounced her U.S. citizenship in order to occupy a position in the Philippine government as the chair of the MTRCB, as per the RA 9225 law.^[112]

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